It is pro-choice, not pro-abortion

Last week, Jane Roe a leading figure in the abortion movement died at the age of 69. Roe was the center of one of the most decisive law cases in the history of the pro-choice movement, despite the fact that she was pro life. The case took place back in 1973, but the pro-choice movement is still fighting to plant its roots as a basic right that should be entitled to parents.

There is a lot of chaos and misunderstanding surrounding the pro-choice movement. To begin with, pro-choice is not pro-abortion per se. It is pro giving the pregnant parent the choice whether to keep the fetus or not based on their abilities. Single parents households (female headed household to be specific) are the third leading cause in poverty in the US according to a study conducted by Princeton University. Females getting pregnant in their teens or early twenties suffer a life catastrophe if they come fromnot so rich families.

The mere act of having a child in a hospital in the US can cost between $3,000-$37,000. These expenses are wallet shattering especially with the lack of enforcement for child support often leaving the burden on the female to provide for herself and her baby. People often blame the pregnant individual for their lack responsibility and engaging in the act of unprotected sex, but there are many factors to blame for the pregnancy other than the parent. Contraception is not easily available to use, especially for teenagers. Teenagers have to jump through multiple hoops in order to get access to contraceptives, and even when using protection such as condoms, there is still a 21 percent failure rate.

Then there is the big question of whether a fetus is considered to be a human life, and this is where the choice in the pro-choice movement plays a role. Some might take a religious stance and consider a fetus to be life the moment the fetus is conceived, and others might lean towards a more scientific stance and argue that life begins when a heart beat can be detected which is usually at 15 weeks. Still, the fetus cannot survive by itself and has to live off the mother’s body and the “right to life” cannot be argued when a person’s survival is to happen on the account of another’s suffering.

Pro choice is not pro discrimination, it is not pro crime, and it is not pro killing. It is in fact pro giving parents the choice whether to keep the fetus or not based on their circumstances. No mother wants to get rid of her baby unless she knows that by doing so she is seeking the best option for her and the baby. If you want to fight for the “right to life” there are many places to do so like adoption agencies and refugee camps. A woman’s womb is not where this fight is to take place. It is the choice of the parents who together conceived the fetus. The government has no place in a woman’s womb and neither do you.